REading Comprehension
Reading comprehension is the process of making meaning from written text and is influenced by experiences and knowledge accumulated throughout life. According to Rholetter (2022), “highly proficient readers are strategic readers—that is, their reading is purposeful and they use a variety of plans or strategies to achieve their purpose.” Readers develop strategies that enable them to comprehend texts through reading and writing with support for the processes until they can use them independently. Some strategies include previewing the text, monitoring comprehension, summarizing, and synthesizing.Reading Comprehension is important because it is a foundational skill that supports so many areas of life, including intellectual growth, academic achievement, professional success, and quality of life. Students are greatly impacted as proficiency in reading comprehension is necessary for achievement across all subjects and content areas. Reading comprehension enhances a student’s vocabulary and language skills, critical thinking skills, writing ability, and test performance.
Strategies:
1. Anticipation Guides are active learning tools with broad benefits for learners as they build background knowledge and engage students in the content. While there are many different formats, a common and easily adaptable format is a three-column chart. In the middle column are a series of statements about a topic, with a pre-reading column on the left and a post-reading column on the right of the statements. The statements can focus on students’ prior knowledge, or on themes and essential questions in the reading. Students read each statement before reading a text and decide if they agree or disagree with each one, and then complete it again after the reading the text to see if their opinion changed. By anticipating the content of a text, students are more likely to find connections between their existing background knowledge and new information, and as a result, their interest in the reading will grow. Anticipation guides are not limited to agree/disagree activities; however. Any type of activity that activates prior knowledge and engages students in critical thinking before reading a text can be useful. For example, before reading Lord of the Flies, have students complete a “Who Should Survive” group activity. In this activity, students are given a list of individuals with descriptions of the person, their occupation, their strengths and weaknesses, and personal habits. The individuals are on a sinking ship and there is only room for 7 on the lifeboat. Students can only choose 7 out of the group of 11 to survive. As a result, students actively engage in a lively debate over the 7 survivors. Click the following link for a copy of the "Who Should Survive" activity.
https://www.uiltexas.org/files/academics/Adams-_Who_Should_Survive.pdf
2. Annotating Text involves examining, questions, and noting observations in a text. Oliver (2022) refers to annotation as “stop, think, and jot.” Annotation allows the reader to intentionally and actively engage in a text, and monitor comprehension while reading; in addition it gives the read a purpose for reading and helps to strengthen metacognitive abilities (Oliver, 2022). While annotating texts can take various forms, using symbols is an excellent way to engage high school students and encourage participation as it is a relatively simple process and doe not overwhelm the students. To guide students in annotating, the first step is to review the symbols with the students. Both, posting an anchor chart and giving students individual copies is a good idea so that they have easy access to the symbols and meanings. The second step is to model using the strategy with students. The teacher gives students an article to read and displays the article on the smartboard. As the teacher reads the first few paragraphs aloud, s/he shows students his or her thought process as s/he reads aloud (and thinks aloud by sharing thoughts, questions, etc…) and makes meaning of the text. As the teacher reads, s/he marks the text with a symbol and writes comments to the side of the text as students watch and take notes on their copies of the same article. In the next step, the teacher continues to read the article to the students, instructing students to annotate the article using a symbol of their choice and writing their thoughts in the margin. After a paragraph or two, the teacher will pause and have students share their annotations and comments. The last step is to instruct the students to complete the reading, annotating and writing comments as they read.Of course this will take practice, and some teachers suggest narrowing the annotation by choosing one or two symbols at a time on which to focus. This is effective as well and can help students focus on different purposes for reading.
Click the link for a free printable annotation guide for students:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Annotation-Guide-3788844
3. Graphic Organizers: Because over 65% of all students are visual learners (Casey, 2022), graphic organizers are a great way to enhance reading comprehension. Graphic organizers give readers a framework to “explore links, relationships, causes, effect, and more” and “allow learners of all ages and abilities to clarify, organize and simplify their own thoughts as well as information that has been given, in a visual manner” (Casey 2022). Graphic organizers serve a variety of purposes such as creating a visual, constructing concepts, organizing and sequencing information, outlining, showing cause and effect, mapping events or ideas, the list is endless. Casey (2022) states, “Graphic organizers give learners a clear and tangible process which can make it easier for them to gather key information and make sense of what they have read” and lists the following comprehension skills that can be scaffolded through the use of graphic organizers:• Tracking story plot• Making links between ideas and concepts• Sequencing and retelling information and events• Identifying the main idea of a text• Understanding cause and effect links• Making predictions• Inferring information and drawing conclusions• Identifying problems and possible solutions• Comparing and contrasting• Summarizing• Identifying character development• Identifying vocabulary, contextual clues and overtones• Identifying theme How to use graphic organizers:Graphic organizers should be explicitly taught and modeled by the teachers, and students should know the purpose of the graphic organizer in order to make meaning purposeful. Casey (2022) recommends the following steps:1. Display the graphic organizer2. Explain when the graphic organizer will be useful and how it helps break down information3. Model how to complete the sections of the graphic organizer using a familiar text. Think aloud as you fill in the sections so teachers so students can hear the process.4. Allow students to complete the graphic organizer in pairs, but with a different text5. In time and with support, students will become more comfortable and will be able to complete the organizer independently
The following websites have a large variety of graphic organizers for all ages:This Houghton Mifflin Harcourt website is geared more to middle and high school and includes graphic organizers by category according to curriculum needs: https://s3.amazonaws.com/prod-hmhco-vmg-craftcms-public/ISP-Chart.pdf4..Education. Com has a long list of graphic organizers for all ages. Many of these are listed for upper middle, but could easily be adapted for high school use: https://www.education.com/resources/?q=graphic%20organizers
4. Summarizing is the process of taking a large section of text and reducing it into a concise, smaller account, including only the main ideas, key points, and essential details of the larger text. According to ADlit (2023), “summarizing helps students learn to determine essential ideas and consolidate important details that support them. It is a technique that enables students to focus on key words and phrases of an assigned text that are worth noting and remembering.” By summarizing, students engage more deeply with the content, reinforce their understanding, and improve retention. Jones (2007) warns teachers that summarizing is one of the hardest reading comprehension strategies to teach and one of the hardest for students to grasp, but it is one of the most valuable learning strategies as it teaches students how to take larger chunks of information and break into manageable pieces. To be effective, summarizing should be modeled repeatedly, and students should be given ample time and opportunity for practice (Jones, 2007). Summarizing is beneficial for students because it requires them to focus on key words and phrases, find the big idea of the passage, and the strategy is applicable in all content areas. To effectively teach summarizing to students, Reading Rockets (2024) suggests scaffolding by modeling and practicing summarizing routines, such as “Beginning, Middle, End,” “First, Next, Then, Last” and “SWBST: Somebody Wanted But So Then.” The Reading Rocket website has excellent videos to help teachers learn to teach these summarizing routines. It gives examples for younger as well as more experienced students and includes videos to help teachers as they teach and facilitate the summarizing technique in their own classrooms.Reading Rockets Website: https://www.readingrockets.org/classroom/classroom-strategies/summarizing. WEBSITE: an excellent website for reading comprehension practice is Commonlit.org. It provides hundreds of fiction and non-fiction articles with guiding questions and quizzes. Students can read online or teachers can print articles so that students can use annotation skills. https://www.commonlit.org/
References:AdLit (2023). WETA. Washington, DC. Retrieved from https://www.adlit.org/in-the-classroom/strategies/summarizing
Casey, M. (2022). Using graphic organizers to improve reading comprehension. Retrieved from https://bedrocklearning.org/literacy-blogs/using-graphic-organizers-to-improve-reading-comprehension/
Jones, R. (2007). Strategies for reading comprehension: summarizing. Retrieved 2024, from http://www.readingquest.org /strat/summarize.html.
Kaback. S. (2024). Using graphic organizers: a tool for study group leaders. Retrieved from https://choiceliteracy.com /article/the-anticipation-guide-a-tool-for-study-group-leaders/#:~:text=A%20well-written%20anticipation% 20guide %20includes%20a% 20variety%20of,explore%20values%20or%20opinions%20that%20spark%20lively%20discussions.
Rholetter, W. (2022). Reading comprehension. Salem Press Encyclopedia. Retrieved fromhttps://research.ebsco.com /c/plrhu3/viewer/html/4k7wk5bixn.
Reading Rockets: Launching young readers (2024). Retrieved from https://www.readingrockets.org/classroom/classroom- strategies/summarizing
3. Graphic Organizers: Because over 65% of all students are visual learners (Casey, 2022), graphic organizers are a great way to enhance reading comprehension. Graphic organizers give readers a framework to “explore links, relationships, causes, effect, and more” and “allow learners of all ages and abilities to clarify, organize and simplify their own thoughts as well as information that has been given, in a visual manner” (Casey 2022). Graphic organizers serve a variety of purposes such as creating a visual, constructing concepts, organizing and sequencing information, outlining, showing cause and effect, mapping events or ideas, the list is endless. Casey (2022) states, “Graphic organizers give learners a clear and tangible process which can make it easier for them to gather key information and make sense of what they have read” and lists the following comprehension skills that can be scaffolded through the use of graphic organizers:• Tracking story plot• Making links between ideas and concepts• Sequencing and retelling information and events• Identifying the main idea of a text• Understanding cause and effect links• Making predictions• Inferring information and drawing conclusions• Identifying problems and possible solutions• Comparing and contrasting• Summarizing• Identifying character development• Identifying vocabulary, contextual clues and overtones• Identifying theme How to use graphic organizers:Graphic organizers should be explicitly taught and modeled by the teachers, and students should know the purpose of the graphic organizer in order to make meaning purposeful. Casey (2022) recommends the following steps:1. Display the graphic organizer2. Explain when the graphic organizer will be useful and how it helps break down information3. Model how to complete the sections of the graphic organizer using a familiar text. Think aloud as you fill in the sections so teachers so students can hear the process.4. Allow students to complete the graphic organizer in pairs, but with a different text5. In time and with support, students will become more comfortable and will be able to complete the organizer independently
The following websites have a large variety of graphic organizers for all ages:This Houghton Mifflin Harcourt website is geared more to middle and high school and includes graphic organizers by category according to curriculum needs: https://s3.amazonaws.com/prod-hmhco-vmg-craftcms-public/ISP-Chart.pdf4..Education. Com has a long list of graphic organizers for all ages. Many of these are listed for upper middle, but could easily be adapted for high school use: https://www.education.com/resources/?q=graphic%20organizers
4. Summarizing is the process of taking a large section of text and reducing it into a concise, smaller account, including only the main ideas, key points, and essential details of the larger text. According to ADlit (2023), “summarizing helps students learn to determine essential ideas and consolidate important details that support them. It is a technique that enables students to focus on key words and phrases of an assigned text that are worth noting and remembering.” By summarizing, students engage more deeply with the content, reinforce their understanding, and improve retention. Jones (2007) warns teachers that summarizing is one of the hardest reading comprehension strategies to teach and one of the hardest for students to grasp, but it is one of the most valuable learning strategies as it teaches students how to take larger chunks of information and break into manageable pieces. To be effective, summarizing should be modeled repeatedly, and students should be given ample time and opportunity for practice (Jones, 2007). Summarizing is beneficial for students because it requires them to focus on key words and phrases, find the big idea of the passage, and the strategy is applicable in all content areas. To effectively teach summarizing to students, Reading Rockets (2024) suggests scaffolding by modeling and practicing summarizing routines, such as “Beginning, Middle, End,” “First, Next, Then, Last” and “SWBST: Somebody Wanted But So Then.” The Reading Rocket website has excellent videos to help teachers learn to teach these summarizing routines. It gives examples for younger as well as more experienced students and includes videos to help teachers as they teach and facilitate the summarizing technique in their own classrooms.Reading Rockets Website: https://www.readingrockets.org/classroom/classroom-strategies/summarizing. WEBSITE: an excellent website for reading comprehension practice is Commonlit.org. It provides hundreds of fiction and non-fiction articles with guiding questions and quizzes. Students can read online or teachers can print articles so that students can use annotation skills. https://www.commonlit.org/
References:AdLit (2023). WETA. Washington, DC. Retrieved from https://www.adlit.org/in-the-classroom/strategies/summarizing
Casey, M. (2022). Using graphic organizers to improve reading comprehension. Retrieved from https://bedrocklearning.org/literacy-blogs/using-graphic-organizers-to-improve-reading-comprehension/
Jones, R. (2007). Strategies for reading comprehension: summarizing. Retrieved 2024, from http://www.readingquest.org /strat/summarize.html.
Kaback. S. (2024). Using graphic organizers: a tool for study group leaders. Retrieved from https://choiceliteracy.com /article/the-anticipation-guide-a-tool-for-study-group-leaders/#:~:text=A%20well-written%20anticipation% 20guide %20includes%20a% 20variety%20of,explore%20values%20or%20opinions%20that%20spark%20lively%20discussions.
Rholetter, W. (2022). Reading comprehension. Salem Press Encyclopedia. Retrieved fromhttps://research.ebsco.com /c/plrhu3/viewer/html/4k7wk5bixn.
Reading Rockets: Launching young readers (2024). Retrieved from https://www.readingrockets.org/classroom/classroom- strategies/summarizing